In manufacturing industries, it is often necessary or desirable to custom cut or otherwise process material according to specific dimensions of other product components. For example, in the plastic window industry, windows are built out of standard plastic profiles that are cut into a frame, similar to the way a picture frame is assembled with mitered corners. Assembly of the frame is carried out by placing the pieces into a machine in their assembled shape. The machine holds the parts apart by about ⅛-inch at each mitered joint. A heated steel plate is placed between the pieces at the miter corners. The plate is heated up until the plastic material is in a molten state. At this point, the plates are quickly withdrawn and the machine pushes the four pieces together at the mitered joints, and the pieces bond to each other making one unitized frame.
A significant problem with the process described above results because the process is sometimes inaccurate. To install the glass in the frame, it is necessary to cut the small pieces that retain the glass from measurements that are taken after the window frame is made. Typically, distances within the frame are measured and then written down. The operator then cuts custom pieces according to the written dimensions, and subsequently installs the glass and the custom retention pieces within the frame.
There are numerous other examples of processes that require handling steps based on measurements made at a location remote from processing equipment such a saw. It is often inefficient, inconvenient, and/or impractical to manually measure, write, and then enter dimensions into processing equipment at another location.